Auto News 5

Toyota driver Kazuki Nakajima publicly apologized to the Nissan DeltaWing team for taking its car out of the race after only six hours.

Driving his Toyota TS030, the Japanese driver crashed into the DeltaWing, driven at the time by his countryman Satoshi Motoyama.

Despite Motoyama's efforts to restart the car, the DeltaWing was forced to retire even before nightfall.

On Sunday morning, Kazuki Nakajima, together with Toyota Racing's president Yoshiaki Kinoshita, went over to apologize to the Nissan DeltaWing team.

"Thanks to the Toyota guys who came to apologize this morning, including Kazuki Nakajima," Highcroft Racing on stated on its Facebook page.

"Much appreciated. We hope we can race with you again soon."

Starting in May 2013, all Yaris models sold in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico will be built in Europe by Toyota Motor Manufacturing France (TMMF). The annual export volume is planned to be around 25,000 units.

''This is not only an endorsement of the quality of the cars built by our team members here at TMMF, but it's also a significant new business opportunity for our factory and further strengthens TMMF's position as an important exporter in France,'' said Makoto Sano, president of TMMF.

The current strength of the yen partly explains the shift from Japan to France, which will represent an additional investment of €8 million at TMMF. The reason for it is to build the car to the specific requirements of the North American market including a 1.5L gasoline engine, automatic transmission, and different rear bumper.

The Yaris Hybrid still won't cross the Atlantic, however.

Source: Automotive News Europe

It's nuts. You'd think 403 hp in a Cadillac Escalade would be enough to flash your jewels around town, but apparently not. After all, you can get a 500-hp Porsche Cayenne Turbo, or even a 555-hp BMW X5 M for extra bragging rights. Something had to be done to the king of bling.


SLP, which usually massages Camaros such as the ZL585 we drove a year and a half ago, decided to diversify its activities after GM announced it would produce the factory Camaro ZL1. Now, pretty much anything that steps out of a GM assembly plant with a V8 underhood can receive the SLP treatment.

In this case, we were handed the keys to a shiny black 2012 Cadillac Escalade equipped with a supercharged 6.2L V8. You get massive amounts of power and torque that can now measure up to those German rocket SUVs. Despite the addictive blown V8 and other performance upgrades, however, this remains an Escalade with its attributes ... and shortcomings.

Explosive acceleration
SLP piled a TVS 2300 supercharger up top of the Escalade's L94 6.2L V8, which in factory form produces 403 hp and 417 lb-ft of torque. A freer flowing, meaner sounding exhaust system and a cold air induction system are also added, and together they help the engine bolt out 525 horses and 517 lb-ft of twist.

Slap the column-mounted shifter of the 6-speed automatic down to D, stomp on the gas pedal, and hang on to your neck chains. The 0-100 km/h dash takes only 5.1 seconds, while the quarter-mile flashes by in 13.4 seconds at 168 km/h. That's damn fast for a 5,800-lb truck.

And for those who don't believe how much muscle you're packing, SLP cleverly installed a hood with a see-through polycarbonate window, making the supercharger and belt clearly visible. And that muscle car supercharger whine at wide-open throttle is music to us car-nuts' ears.

Fuel economy? You really wanna know? SLP tells us the supercharged engine consumes only about 1L/100km more than the stock L94 V8, which sounds optimistic. Eco-driving in this rig is about as relevant as track-testing a smart fortwo. Our five-day test result: 20L/100km; truthfully, we were expecting worse.

Rounding out the SLP treatment on our Escalade are 2” lower front springs, front and rear sway bars, subtle side skirts and exclusive 22” chromed alloy wheels wrapped in 295/40R22 rubber. You can also get Brembo brake package upgrades, which we strongly suggest to go with the extra forward motion.

SLP piled a TVS 2300 supercharger up top of the Escalade's L94 6.2L V8, which in factory form produces 403 hp and 417 lb-ft of torque. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

From the driver's seat
There are a few distinctions to the interior of the SLP Escalade, but they're not all that noticeable. The most extroverted additions are SLP's red and white “Sport Edition” badging, with a plaque affixed on the passenger side of the dash and embroidered on the front seat headrests. Oh, you also get SLP front floor mats.

The rest of the environment is pure 2012 Cadillac Escalade. And that's what's great about the package as a whole: it's subtle, and you don't look like you're trying too hard to impress everybody, but you do anyway. The Escalade has always been a desirable machine and gets admirable stares, in some neighbourhoods more than others. Not only do you feel like you own the street, but you now have the firepower to impose an extra layer of respect.

The Escalade has always been a desirable machine and gets admirable stares. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Fantastic powertrain, but...
As much as we love blasting off at stoplights and intimidating Lincoln Navigator and Porsche Cayenne drivers with the engine's deep-throated burble, the blown Escalade has its shortcomings, and they have nothing to do with SLP's work.

The Cadillac Escalade, largely unchanged since 2007, is in dire need of a makeover. While it continues to offer a luxurious ride and remains a symbol of prestige, things we've been complaining about since its redesign six years ago are obviously still present today.

The steering column doesn't telescope. The climate control buttons are minuscule and difficult to use while driving. Woodgrain instead of genuine wood trim is hard to justify in a vehicle of this price. The second-row seats don't offer much room for such a big vehicle, and the third row is worse. The third row bench doesn't fold into the floor, so you must remove it to maximize cargo space. A GMC Yukon looks almost the same but costs thousands less. We could go on.

The steering column doesn't telescope. The climate control buttons are minuscule and difficult to use while driving. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Many SLP models to choose from
According to SLP, the base supercharger package costs $18,995 over the price of a standard, short-wheelbase Escalade, which currently carries an $85,260 MSRP. If 525 hp isn't enough, SLP also offers a 700-hp version that includes a 427-cubic-inch V8 for about $35K.

If an Escalade isn't your cup of tea, SLP had the good idea of broadening their product portfolio and now offers their performance packages on just about every GM model equipped with a V8 engine, which includes Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban, Sierra, Yukon, Yukon XL, Avalanche, Escalade, Camaro and Corvette.

Selon SLP, l'ensemble de base avec le compresseur volumétrique coûte 18 995 $, que l'on doit ajouter au PDSF d'un Escalade, dont la version à empattement court se détaille à partir de 85 260 $. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Best of all, all SLP models under 600 hp are backed by the same warranty that GM offers, which means this blown Escalade is covered bumper-to-bumper for four years or 80,000 km, while its powertrain warranty is five years or 160,000 km, whichever comes first.

In short, the SLP Escalade is a wild ride that will please those who want a high-horsepower SUV that's made of Detroit iron. Those pesky Germans now have some company in the 500-hp club.

Interested in an SLP-tuned vehicle? Check out the SLP Performance Parts website. We'd like to thank SLP's Stefano Ciambella (sciambella@slponline.com, 514-260-1457) and Automobiles Paillé in Berthierville (www.gmpaille.com) for making this test possible.

Germany plans to offer 50 hydrogen filling stations across the country by 2015. Fourteen of those are already operational.

''Electric vehicles equipped with hydrogen fuel cells generate no harmful emissions. They also have a high range and can be refuelled within minutes,'' said Dr. Peter Ramsauer, Federal Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Development. ''To facilitate their introduction to the market, we need a network of filling stations that covers the major metropolitan areas and connects them to each other.''

The project will require an investment of more than €40 million from the federal government and industrial sector - through a partnership between Air Liquide, Air Products, Daimler, Linde and Total Germany.

With 50 hydrogen filling stations, Germany hopes to supply the 5,000 fuel cell vehicles that are expected to be on the road three years from now.

Source: ccfa.fr

Maybe you've heard of ex-Formula 1 driver David Coulthard's latest accomplishment? On May 30th, he caught a golf ball... with his Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG!

A film shows Coulthard driving off after a ball, hit by professional golfer Jake Shepherd, and "catching" it between the seats of his SLS AMG roadster.

The driver (of the car) describes what it was like: “The only way to track the ball was to keep your eyes on it all the time - it's a real adrenaline rush but it's not the most comfortable thing to do because for a moment, you're not watching the road!”

Guinness World Record confirmed Coulthard and Shepherd's new farthest golf shot caught in a moving car title. The ball, traveling at 286 km/h, covered 275 m before landing in Coulthard's Mercedes, which had reached 193 km/h.

I just stepped out of a 2012 Nissan Frontier and as with every experience I've ever had with a pickup, small or large, I always end up thinking that I want one.

Over the weekend, I lugged rocks and tree branches, five adults, picnic gear and not once was I wanting for more of anything. Well, that's not entirely true. Here I go again knocking on Honda's door...

The only thing I longed for with the Frontier was an in-bed trunk as found in the clever yet unloved Honda Ridgeline. With five people on board, trivial items like bags, spare shoes and chairs were tied down in the bed, exposed to the elements. Had I been with a Ridgeline, most of these items would have been stored in the trunk.

2012 Nissan Frontier (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre)

Could it be that Honda is, once again, ahead of itself? I clearly recall thinking, along with like-minded auto journos at the launch of Honda's first pickup, that every truck builder was going to imitate the Ridgeline's in-bed trunk. The truck was launched in early 2005; it's been seven years and still no copycats.

Regardless, it never fails that a pickup quickly becomes a useful friend. If not that, it'll make you new friends in very little time. There's no denying that a pickup is more practical than the sum of its parts. These days, these rigs are not only capable but comfortable and quite accommodating. The three adult females sitting in the rear of the Frontier made fewer complaints about ride comfort than they had when I tested the 2013 Mazda CX-5. That's saying lots.

As well, with trucks like the Ford F-150 ever more luxurious, it's no small wonder why their popularity is not falling as we might expect, given the price of petrol. Ford figured the guzzling thing out by slapping a pair of turbos on a V6 and calling it EcoBoost. GM's still pushing hybrid versions of the Silverado and Sierra, and diesel variants for non heavy-duty pickups have been promised. It is clear to me that pickups are not going anywhere, except perhaps in more North American driveways.

Given the draw and usefulness of these trucks, I think they have a greater role to play in our future automotive landscape than many might expect. Fuel economy will be addressed with smaller turbocharged engines, electric powertrains and more hybrid variations.

As they continue to evolve, their utilitarian nature will remain but they will increasingly do a better job at being an everyday family vehicle.

My cloudy, mostly opaque crystal ball says that pickups may become the next family vehicle of choice.

First came the station wagon, then the minivan, followed by the crossover and next, the pickup? Put a cap over the bed on a crew cab model and consider the vastness of the trunk, room for five, ability to tow almost anything and capable of going almost anywhere. What more could we want?

Pickup anyone?

From GMM

Valencia president Alberto Fabra on Sunday sounded confident the Spanish port city will return to the F1 calendar in the future.

Amid Spain's harsh economic crisis and the strong protests of angry residents, the circuit - despite showcasing a thrilling race on Sunday - struggled this weekend to fill its vastly-culled capacity.

But Fabra insisted it is not too late to rescue the event.

Start of the 2012 Grand Prix. (Photo: WRi2)

"We are negotiating, and hopefully not before too long we can realise this potential alternation and set new conditions," he said on Sunday, according to El Pais newspaper.

He is referring to his talks on Sunday with Bernie Ecclestone, and the proposal that Valencia and Barcelona from now on share a single annual grand prix race date.

Asked if the F1 chief executive will also agree to reduce Valencia's race sanctioning fee, Fabra answered: "Everything is being negotiated. All this is happening, of course, because there is little money, but the negotiations continue and there is a willingness on both sides."

2012 BMW 335i Sedan Review

2013 smart fortwo electric drive First Impressions

2012 Chevrolet Orlando LTZ Review

Other very interesting topics:

• Blog: ATS and XTS, Cadillac's saviours
• 2012 Kia Rio SX Sedan Review
• 2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT preview
• Pricing announced for 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT and Elantra Coupe
• 2013 Porsche Cayenne Diesel preview

Luiz Razia won a thriller of race, followed at the finish by James Calado and Fabio Leimer.

James Calado, who started from pole position, led the main part of the race. The Brit first had to withstand pressure from Ryo Haryanto for several laps, before the pair collided, which forced Haryanto to retire while Calado was able to continue.

Then it was Fabio Leimer's turn to pressure Calado, in the last part of the race. The Swiss driver was able to overtake the leader, but not without overshooting the chicane: he had to give his position back.

Luis Razia. (Photo: GP2 Series)

But, Razia took advantage of Calado lifting to let Leimer back through. And, taking advantage of the draft produced by both cars, Razia moved into the lead, in the very last lap.

Thanks to this victory, Luiz Razia now stands only one point behind championship leader Davide Valsecchi.

Race 2 results - GP2 (Valencia)
1. Luiz Razia (Arden) in 46min07.255s
2. James Calado (Lotus) + 1.179s
3. Fabio Leimer (Racing Engineering) +1.587s
4. Max Chilton (Carlin) +2.425s
5. Nathanael Berthon (Racing Engineering) +2.957s
6. Giedo van der Garde (Caterham) +4.969s
7. Simon Trummer (Arden) +8.415s
8. Julian Leal (Trident) +9.501s
Etc.

Championship:
1. Valsecchi 141 points, 2. Razia 140, 3. Calado 95, 4. Chilton 93, 5. Van der Garde 89, etc.

From GMM

Romain Grosjean on Sunday lost his chance to become F1's eighth different winner.

The Frenchman was running comfortably behind eventual winner Fernando Alonso at Valencia when his Renault alternator failed -- the same component that halted Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull charge.

"We need to hold our hands up and apologise," said Renault's Remi Taffin.

Former F1 driver Patrick Tambay told France's RMC: "It's a shame, because the opportunities for victory are rare and you can't let them pass.

"Today it passed for Romain but it wasn't his fault," he insisted. "Until then his race was truly remarkable; his pass on Hamilton, the wisdom of his duel with Alonso in the heat.

"There are many positive things to take away for Romain. Unfortunately the next race will be more difficult because of the cold in England, which does not really suit Romain's Lotus. But I think that in Budapest we can really count on him again," added Tambay.

Romain Grosjean ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen. (Photo: WRi2)

Grosjean's Lotus teammate Kimi Raikkonen finished second on Sunday.

"Lotus continues to demonstrate its ability in 2012 with a car that has great grip and little tire degradation," Jaime Alguersuari said in Mundo Deportivo newspaper.

"Both Grosjean and Raikkonen are potentially the eighth winner of this season. For them it's about time," the former Toro Rosso driver added.

From GMM

Dr Helmut Marko has confirmed Red Bull's suspicion that the safety car was called onto the Valencia circuit on Sunday to aid 'the show'.

After retiring from a comfortable lead with a broken Red Bull on Sunday, an angry Sebastian Vettel said he thought the safety car period was called not just to clear debris but also "to break our neck".

Indeed, the neutralisation of the race allowed Romain Grosjean to catch up and thereby breathed life into the contest, and it also may have contributed to Vettel's terminal car problem.

"It just went to sh**," Vettel shrugged. "I think it was clear to see that (until then) we were pulling away without problems."

Red Bull's motor sport consultant Marko backed Vettel's theory.

"Vettel was too far ahead and so the field was brought back together," the Austrian is quoted as saying on German television, "just as they do in American racing."

German Sky television pundit Marc Surer, however, doubted Red Bull's conspiracy theory is true.

"I don't think it was intentional against Vettel," said the Swiss, insisting it was right to give marshals the cover of the safety car to clear the track of crash debris.

"But I am sure it is going to be discussed," he added.

Surer also played down the new controversy about the legality of the RB8's latest developments; namely the 'double floor' that was credited for Vettel's pole gap and winning pace in Spain.

"It is being discussed," said Surer, "but I remember that Toro Rosso had a false floor like this and no one said anything."

From GMM

Michael Schumacher has kept hold of his first podium in over 2000 days, following a stewards' inquiry in Valencia late on Sunday.

Red Bull had pressed the case that the Mercedes driver should have his trophy stripped away, after Mark Webber spotted Schumacher deploying his 'DRS' overtaking system amid waving yellow flags.

"For the same offense Vettel was penalised in Barcelona with a drive through penalty," the team's Dr Helmut Marko told Bild newspaper.

Schumacher answered: "I assume that there will be no penalty. It can be seen in the data that I slowed down for the yellow flags."

Mark Webber hit back: "I'm sorry, but a rule is a rule."

The FIA stewards including former Sauber driver Mika Salo, however, ruled that Schumacher did indeed slow down for the yellow flags, despite his wing flap being open.

"This incident differs substantially from that in round 5", the stewards' report added, referring to Vettel in Barcelona.

Since his comeback, Michael Schumacher clinched in Valencia his first Mercedes podium. (Photo: WRi2)

Meanwhile, Williams' Pastor Maldonado was handed a 20-second post-race time penalty for his late crash on Sunday with Lewis Hamilton.

Maldonado had slammed an overly "aggressive" Hamilton, but former Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari pinned the blame on the Venezuelan.

"He was entirely outside the limits of the track and, honestly, there was no room to overtake at that point," the Spaniard told Mundo Deportivo newspaper.

Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi will move five places down the grid at Silverstone next month for crashing into Felipe Massa on Sunday, while the stewards came down even harder on Jean-Eric Vergne.

The Frenchman was seen to jink to the right before crashing with Heikki Kovalainen, and so a rare double-penalty was imposed. Not only will Vergne have to pay a EUR 25,000 fine, he faces a ten-position grid penalty for Silverstone after stewards took a dim view of the "serious nature of the incident".

Asked about Toro Rosso's struggles since dumping both of its established drivers at the end of last year, Alguersuari said only: "Thankfully it's not my problem."

From GMM

Bernie Ecclestone has, for a third time, questioned the viability of next year's scheduled New Jersey street race.

Organisers have consistently sounded puzzled by the F1 chief executive's continual scepticism.

The 81-year-old's latest comments prompted race president Tom Cotter to insist that preparations for the event amid the Manhattan skyline are actually ahead of schedule.

But when asked if the race will go ahead next year, Ecclestone told the BBC on Saturday: "No. Definitely, no."

Confusingly, he then added: "If they can get it (the circuit) completed and confirm to us it will be done, for sure, they'll be on the calendar."

Sebastian Vettel on the New Jersey track's layout, in front of the Manhattan skylines. (Photo: Red Bull Racing)

After the recent Canadian grand prix, Sebastian Vettel and David Coulthard travelled to New Jersey for a promotional event to sample in road cars the curves of the proposed layout.

"The circuit is not anywhere near close to being ready," Red Bull driver Vettel admitted, "but as I said, it would be great."

Former grand prix driver Coulthard added: "They think they're ahead of schedule. They're talking about 12 months from now, but it's a lot of work -- the road is so bowed in the middle."

Anis traded fastest laps over the weekend with Benjamin Distaulo (No. 6 Honda Civic) and Philip Fayer (No. 3 Pontiac Solstice), but came out on top of both round 5 and 6 in overall and Super Touring standings. Similarly, Distaulo and Fayer crossed the finish line second and third respectively both Saturday and Sunday.

Rémy Audette, the reigning US F2000 champion making his debut in the CTCC this season appeared on pace in only his second race, but didn't manage to crack the top 3.

In Touring class, top runners were Michel Sallenbach (No. 46 MINI Cooper), Damon Sharpe (No. 84 Honda Civic), Jacques Bélanger (No. 29 Honda Civic) and first-timer Adam Isman (No. 47 MINI Cooper). Sallenbach and Bélanger each took their own win.

The story of the B-Spec class was once more all about Nick Wittmer (No. 91 Honda Fit). The 2009 and 2010 Super Touring champion won each round, followed to the checkered by Simon Dion-Viens (No. 17 Honda Fit) and James Bergeron (No. 2 Mazda 2).

For the first time since the inception of the series, timing problems during qualifying forced the official to revert to setting the grid according to the points standings.

Clint Bowyer, and crew chief, Brian Pattie's dominating win at the Sonoma road course might be considered a revenge is a dish best served cold type of day.

Bowyer, who was let go from Richard Childress Racing, and his crew chief, Brian Pattie who was let go from Chip Ganassi Racing, proved that for Michael Waltrip Racing.

Driving a Toyota Bowyer led 71-laps of the 112-lap race around Sonoma Raceway one of two NASCAR road courses. “Not bad for Kansas boy who comes from racing on dirt,” he said after his first road course win and first win of the year.

“Very nerve racking times in the wintertime,” Bowyer said. “Basically kind of lost my ride at RCR, walked into a new program with a lot of unknowns, and I had a lot of confidence in what was going on. I still had confidence in myself.”

Pattie agreed about the win “It means a lot; it means a lot to me,” he said. “I was in the same boat he was, he lost his ride and I lost my job.”

“We are a place for refugees,” Bowyer added.

Team owner grinned adding “these two didn't have anywhere to go,” to the laughter in the post race interview.

Clint Bowyer leading the race, ahead of Kurt Busch. (Photo: NASCAR)

Not that the winner had an easy day of it.

First he held off a determined charge by the volatile Kurt Busch. But Busch made a mistake which nearly ended his race. The former champ explained “I just made a little mistake there in turn 11. Those tires than have never been bolted down, ever, I clipped the tires and broke front suspension and rear panhard bar.”

Amazingly he held on to the crippled car, but, on the restart on the second and final caution was his undoing as reigning champ, Tony Stewart took second place. “I was watching him (Busch) and honestly I don't know how he kept it on the racetrack with how much the rear end was moving around on that car. He did a phenomenal job of just hanging on to what he had.

The race which usually has seven cautions because it's so difficult to pass was unusually clean with only two.

Bowyer's margin of victory was .829 seconds.

Notable was Brian Vickers, who had raced in LeMans and is a part-time driver for the MWR who finished fourth. “I haven't had many Cup races this year but, I made the most of them,” Vickers said. Martin Truex Jr. could have been the third MWR car in the top-five only he was spun out and finished 22nd.

Jimmie Johnson, the winner here in 2010, followed by his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jeff Gordon who leads with five wins at the road course.

Polesitter, Marcos Ambrose finished eighth.

Matt Kenseth retains the points' lead over his teammate, Greg Biffle by 11 points while Dale Earnhardt Jr., last week's winner, fell to third 14 points down.

Latest pictures from race day in Valencia, following an action-packed European Grand Prix

Lexus, which has never taken the tried and tested route in a region where four-cylinder diesel cars are the norm, thinks its new GS sedan has got what it takes to change buyers' perceptions of the brand.

BMW and Toyota are planning to expand cooperation beyond green car technology and diesel engines, according to a report.

BMW and Toyota are planning to expand cooperation beyond green car technology and diesel engines, Der Spiegel magazine reported on Sunday, without citing any sources.

Fernando Alonso takes his second victory of the year, with a stunning win in the the European Grand Prix